A New Beginning
by Alaynathebookworm02
Summary: Kyla West is accepted into the elite school, Canterwood Crest Academy. She is determined to do well, and succeed with her horse, Shadow, but will she break under pressure?
1. Characters

**Kyla West** : light brown hair, hazel eyes, 14, 9th grade, horse named Shadow of the Night, aka Shadow (black Arab/Quarter Horse/Thoroughbred )

 **Courtney Stone** : wavy ginger hair, green eyes, 14, 9th grade, horse named Silver and Gold, aka Jewel (light dapple grey mare (quarter/Belgian)

 **Shannon Field** s: long blonde hair, blue eyes, horse named Genie in a Bottle, aka Genie (palomino gelding (quarter/Arabian), roommates with Ruby Shamrock, 14, 9th grade

 **Ruby Shamrock** : blonde hair, blue eyes, on advanced dance team, 14, 9th grade

 **Kallie George** : blonde hair, green eyes, 14, 9th grade, in glee club and drama club, as well as being the captain of the girl's swim team, roommates with Carlie Austin

 **Charlotte "Char" or "Charlie" Austin** : long light brown hair, black belt karate at CCA

Foxes

 **Raina Trent** : long dark brown hair, hazel eyes, lots of freckles, 14, 9th grade, horse named Phoenix (chestnut Arabian gelding), 'leader' of the Foxes

 **Whitney Hilton** : dark, bobbed brown hair, brown eyes, horse named Dappled Dancer, aka Delia (dapple blue gelding (thoroughbred/Arab), 14, 9th grade

 **Abigail "Abby" Hamilton** : auburn colored hair, brown eyes, lots of freckles, 14, 9th grade, horse named Cherry on Top (chestnut mare…Thoroughbred/Quarter horse)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

This was it. My dream had finally become a reality. I, Kyla west, was officially becoming a student at Canterwood Crest Academy— the most elite and prestigious boarding school on the East Coast. The best part of it all, was that I had been able to take my beloved horse, Shadow of the Night (or Shadow, for short), with me on my new journey.

My parents and older sister, Samantha had surprised me on my thirteenth birthday by getting me Shadow, since I had started riding seven years before. I had only been riding competitively for a year and a half, but I had managed to take home the blue ribbon in our county horse competition, and placed fourth in my state league back home in New Hampshire

Right now in the present, my dad drove our dark blue Nissan Pathfinder through Canterwood's rustic looking wrought iron gates, and Thomas, a stable hand from my old barn, Pine Wood, was driving his Chevy behind us, with a silver horse trailer behind him.

It'd only taken us an hour and a half to get here from our hometown in New Hampshire, since the traffic had been good to us. But even so, I knew Shadow would be impatient to get out, even with his traveling meds. Shadow would get used to his stall and the horses around him quick—he was a good horse like that—but he hated traveling.

Dad drove past lovely two-story buildings, which were most likely the dorms, since the classrooms were in the center of campus.

While Dad tried to find a space to park, Mom turned around from the passenger's seat and smiled at me.

"You're going to do great here, Ky," she said calmly. "From what I've seen, you'll definitely make it on the advanced riding team."

"I don't know…," I said. I hoped to make the advanced team, but my friend, Sienna Woodbrook, who graduated last year, was an exceptional rider— far better than me— but only made the intermediate team when she began here.

"Stop thinking of what Sienna had done while she was here," Mom said, practically reading my mind. "You're not her, and never will be. If you stop thinking about it, you'll do fine."

"Okay," I mumbled, before tucking a long strand of light brown hair (the same as my mom's) behind my ear.

I opened the second-row door, once my Dad came to a complete stop. Yawning, I turned back to my seat, and helped my Dad as he pushed it down to get to my luggage out of the back row.

After, I went over to the other back door, and grabbed my miniature Vera Bradley backpack that was filled with some random objects, such as _Burt's Bees Lip Balm_ (of many different scents), and mini hand sanitizers from Bath and Body Works. I slung the backpack around my shoulder and grabbed a white wicker basket that held my electronic gizmos and gadgets.

I went back around the car once again, and grabbed my campus map out from the pocket on the back of my Mom's seat. Although I had toured Canterwood in May, I was still clueless. My parents shut and locked the car, once we had enough stuff to fill our arms on trip one, and I headed over to Thomas, who was standing near his truck, unlocking Shadow's trailer.

"How was the car ride, kiddo?" Thomas asked. Thomas Winters was twenty-three, but he was like a brother to me. He had just happened to work at my stable. He and my dad were the only people allowed to call me kiddo.

I shrugged. "It was okay, I guess. I mean, I texted Savannah and Bethany, and read over Canterwood's handbook, but otherwise it was pretty boring."

Savannah and Bethany were my two closest friends back home. Bethany was on my riding team, and Savannah was in several classes of mine back at my old school, Pine Ridge Middle. Once I introduced Savannah to Bethany, the three of us became inseparable.

"Oh, that's not a big deal anymore. What matters is that you're here now," Thomas said as he opened the trailer door.

Quickly, I handed him my things and went inside.

"Hey handsome boy!" I cooed to Shadow. Right to his name, Shadow blent in with the darkened trailer. Shadow whinnied softly and I edged my way to the back where I took off his traveling blanket and pulled Shadow's halter over his ears. I then attached the lead-line and lead him out of the trailer into the cool, crisp, autumn air.

"How are you doing, boy?" I asked as I fed him a sugar cube I had put in my pocket. Shadow lifted his head as to say, 'I'm doing pretty good'.

I laughed and fed him another sugar cube before taking my basket and backpack from Thomas.

"Thank you for bringing Shadow," I said to Thomas.

Thomas nodded once. "No problem," he said. "Go take Shadow to the stable. Your parents and I will take the rest of your things to your room."

I agreed, but before I left, I went back over to my parents and told them where I was going.

I then walked towards the wrought iron gate opening towards the school, and led my horse to the center of campus, where I knew there were signs showing new students where to go.

As I walked along, I admired every little detail the school had to offer; from the ivy on the buildings, to the pretty flower bushes, everything was absolutely gorgeous.

I could see the outdoor arena before I made it to the center of campus, so I watched as a dark haired girl cleared a vertical on her chestnut horse. That's when I ran into it— or him, rather.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, completely surprised. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!"

The guy who I had accidentally knocked over, smirked. "Well, obviously!" he exclaimed back. After a moment without us talking to each other, the guy got up and dusted off his shorts.

"I'm just kidding, you know," he said after another minute.

"I couldn't tell." I shrugged.

"I wasn't paying attention either," the guy said back. "Trust me, if I had seen that big horse coming my way, I would've moved." The brunet guy gestured to Shadow before sticking out his hand. "I'm Noah Greyson, by the way."

I put my basket in between my waist and my hand holding Shadow's lead, before sticking out my own. "I'm Kyla West," I replied. "I just got here, and I'm already not making a good first impression."

Noah shook his head. "Yeah, I haven't seen you around before," he said before adding, "oh, and its cool."

More silence.

"Well, I'll see you around then," Noah said before I said, "bye," and left towards the stable.

"That was awkward, wasn't it, Shadow?" I asked my horse, even though he could't respond. "Five minutes onto campus and I'm already making a fool of myself."

I followed the gravel pathway to the gorgeous, dark lacquered stable.

The dark haired girl on the chestnut was still practicing her jumping, and now there were several other girls out with her.

I looked back towards the stable, where two girls were emerging on their horses, most likely towards the trails.

I went inside, and the interior was just as dazzling as the outside. Each of the stalls were spacious and the beams above head were lacquered, just like the outside.

I took a deep breath in to calm my nerves, let it out, and walked down the stable's isle, looking for stall number 24, which would soon be Shadow's new home.

As I passed, I read each bronze plaque that hung on the stall gate.

 _Stall 16: The Magician (Used by Ashlie Hillis)_

 _Stall 20: Phoenix (Owned by Raina Trent)_

 _Stall 22: Midnight Eclipse (Owned by Noah Jefferson)_

As I read stall twenty-two's plaque, I remembered the guy that I bumped into. Interesting…

Two more stalls down and there was Shadow's stall. Luxurious for a horse stall, there were two troughs, one filled with hay, and the other with fresh clean water. There were shiny hardwood floors that would be easy for the stable hands to clean when need be, and wrought iron bars so each stall had a 'window' to see other horses.

I led Shadow into his new stall, and he immediately dug into the hay.

"Shadow," I said. When he didn't turn his head around, I clicked my tongue. He then turned to look at me, clearly annoyed.

"Silly boy," I murmured. "Let me get your halter off." I pulled his halter over his ears, and hung it on the hook on the side of his stall.

I pulled two more sugar cubes out of my pocket and fed them to Shadow, before picking up my basket and closing his stall gate.

"I'll see you tomorrow, handsome," I called to Shadow as I started walking away, trying to navigate across campus to my new home in Orchard.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Thank you for helping us, Thomas," my mom said as she took one of my many totes from his arms.

"It's not a big deal, really. I'm just glad to help out," he replied back.

My mom shook her head, "No, really, let us treat you to dinner tonight."

This time, it was Thomas who shook his head. "No can do, Mrs. West. I promised my friend Chris that I'd go fishing with him this evening. And besides, I volunteered to help out. You don't have to treat me for that."

I took the tote from my mom's arms and set it beside my bare bed. I had avoided unpacking until my roommate, Courtney Stone, arrived, because I had promised her I would. Also, I didn't want to unpack alone.

I had gotten Courtney's number from the guidance councilor, Ms. Utz, here at Canterwood, so we could talk and get to know each other (and plan our room decor). The first night that I had texted her, we had just gotten to know each other, but pretty much every other time, we had discussed how we were going to decorate our room.

Once again, my Mom read my mind. "Do you know when Courtney is going to get here? Even though we want to be here as long as possible, we have to get back home to take Samantha to her volleyball tournament."

I shook my head. "I'll text her really quick though." I grabbed my new phone (I had saved up money from baby-sitting and other random jobs over the summer and eventually had enough to pay for it myself), which was in a really cute (and somewhat protective) case (which was just leopard print), put in my password and clicked on the message application.

I then clicked on mine and Courtney's recent conversation and typed:

 _Kyla: Hey, sorry to ask, but my mom's wondering when you're going to get here. My sister, who's back home has a volleyball tournament in three and a half hours._

Almost immediately, I got a response.

 _Courtney: It's not a big problem. I'm pulling in now, so I'll be in the room in about half an hour. I still have to drop Jewel off in her stall._

 _Kyla: Okay, thanks. See you in a bit._

I turned my phone off and threw it on my bare mattress, where it bounced for a bit, before settling down.

"She said she would be here in about half an hour. Courtney still has to drop her horse off at the stable," I told my mom.

"Okay," my mom replied. "Just as long as she's almost here."

Half an hour later I heard a knock at my door. I didn't know whether it was my dad with another tote, or Courtney.

I walked over to the tall, white door and came face to face with a big purple tote.

"Can you please take this?" the person behind the tote said, voice straining.

"Hello to you too, Courtney," I retorted. I took the tote from her and set it on her side of the room.

"Yeah, hi, Kyla," Courtney replied, and then smiled. "My parents are bringing down the rest of my things, so I can stay in here with you." Like me, Courtney also had a mini backpack, not Vera Bradley, but a nice, heather grey one, that I had seen somewhere before. Also, she had a cute faux leather cross-body purse with some fringe on the zipper.

"Yeah, my parents really packed me up," Courtney said, as she noticed me examining all of her bags.

I smiled before taking her backpack and setting it on her bed.

My dad and Thomas came through my open door, my last four totes in each of their arms.

"Here you go, Kyla." Thomas set my last pieces of luggage on top of my bed.

"Thanks, Thomas," I thanked him, really grateful for the help.

He gave me one last nod, before embracing me in a big hug. "We'll miss you at the stable, but everyone knows you'll do great here."

"Thanks, again, for everything," I murmured.

He let go before walking back to the door. "I have to go now and meet Chris down at the pier, but I'll see you over Thanksgiving Break."

"Okay," I called to him. "Bye!"

My parents thanked him again before he left down the hall to go back to his truck.

"He seemed nice," Courtney said once he left the room.

"He is," I said back to her. "That was Thomas, by the way. He's a stable hand and rider back at my old stable. He's also a family friend, so he helped me load and unload all of my stuff here. He also drove Shadow."

"That was nice," Courtney added.

A half hour later, my parents left and Courtney's parents had finished lugging all of her cargo to our room.

"Before we start unpacking, I have to say, that I love your whole outfit!" she exclaimed.

I smiled. I had worn my favorite tank top (at the moment anyway), which was red with a tribal print pocket on the front. Also, I was adorn with black leggings, and a light, grey sweater. On my wrist I had two bracelets: one was a plain black one with a gold bow, and the other was a gold arrow bracelet. On my feet were my brand new white converse, and in my hair was a small, black bow.

"Thanks," I replied. "Your's outfit isn't too shabby either!" I actually meant it too. Courtney was wearing a teal and white striped shirt with some plain medium washed skinny jeans, a black headband, and some teal VANS. Also, if i'm not mistaken, there were some cute, gold heart earrings in her ears.

"Thanks," she said before turning to look at her mess. "I think we should start cleaning this place up."

I nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

An hour passed, and all I had to do was put my clothes in my nice, roomy walk-in closet.

I opened one of four totes filled to the brim with clothes and started unloading my neatly folded shirts. On the top was one of my newer shirts from _American Eagle_ , which was plain black with a grey eagle that had darker palm trees inside. I grabbed one of the hangers that were already beside me, and hung it up on one side of my closet. Next was a cute floral shirt from PacSun, which was followed by a plain white v-neck that I put under jackets.

After hanging a lot of clothes up in the closet, I went over to Courtney's side of the room to see how she was doing, herself.

Courtney had only just started her last tote, but it was filled with shoes, so it wouldn't take her as long.

Right on the top, I saw a cute pair of coral converse that I absolutely loved.

"I wear size seven and a half, if you want to borrow any shoes." What's up with people reading my mind? Am I that easy to read these days?

"Oh, thanks!" I exclaimed. "It's weird that we wear the same size shoe."

Courtney looked over at me and smiled. "Its like we were meant to share clothes!"

"It just might be."


End file.
